Merchant
"Those bolts of exotic Cathay silks? Pfft. Who’d want those? I’ll give you fifty gold crowns for the entire cartload because I feel sorry for you. I’m doing you a favour." Advanced (Core) Merchants are speculators who arrange to move large amounts of goods from city to city, seeking the market that they will make the most handsome profit in. They seldom interact with the populace as they deal in bulk, generally selling their goods to Burghers and Tradesmen. Merchant Guilds are extremely influential in the Empire and they are slowly usurping the position once held by Nobles in the Old World. Even the poorest Merchant tends to be very wealthy, indeed, many use their wealth to buy legitimacy, purchasing titles or marrying their children into Noble families. Main Profile Secondary Profile Skills: Charm, Common Knowledge (any two), Drive, Evaluate, Gossip, Haggle, Read/Write, Ride, Secret Language (Guild Tongue), Speak Language (Breton, Estalian, Kislevian, or Norse), Speak Language (Reikspiel), Trade (Merchant) Talents: Dealmaker or Streetwise, Super Numerate Trappings: Town House, Warehouse, 1,000 gc in coin or trade goods Career Entries Artisan, Burgher, Captain, Envoy, Explorer, Farmer, Fisherman, Innkeeper, Mate, Scholar, Steward, Tradesman Career Exits Farmer, Guild Master, Militiaman, Politician, Racketeer, Spy A Day in the Life To be a merchant is to know the value of a gold coin and a silver tongue. They know what flows in and out of the gates of a city better than any soldier or guard. They know how to speak eloquently with nobility, and conduct the most vulgar of conversations with criminals. The gift of words is a merchant’s most valuable asset. For one beginning in the merchant’s trade, much time is spent traveling. A good merchant knows the path that goods must make from beginning to end, and a very good merchant knows all the people along that path. Merchants spend much time in their early years meeting people, and getting to know who may prove to be allies or hindrances. As time goes on and the merchant’s coffers begin to fill with gold, less time is spent in travel, and more is spent in whatever city or port becomes the center of the merchant’s business. Such time, however, is not idle. With the knowledge gained in traveling, merchants learn to better negotiate with ship’s captains and caravan leaders for favorable transportation costs, and with various guilds for the numerous goods and services that they need. A merchant’s evening is usually spent in the company of others, preferably of those with influence. For the merchant, this is as much about appearances as it is the opportunity to make allies. Lowly merchants seen sipping wine with a powerful countess may find themselves shortly doing business with genteel clients, even if they never speak a word to the noblewoman. Likewise, a few rolls of the dice with a notorious criminal in a gambling hall may lessen the number of bandit attacks on a merchant’s caravan routes…particularly if the merchant is a gracious loser. The life of a merchant is one of constant motion. If merchants are not busy working on a venture, then they are certainly planning the next one, or at least laying the groundwork for a new opportunity. Affiliations Most towns and cities have merchants’ guilds, to which most credible merchants belong if they wish to be successful. The size and scope of such guilds is dependent on the size of the town in which they reside. A small town might only have a single guild encompassing all sorts of trade, while a large city might have several guilds dealing with more specific goods, such as foods, cloth, or precious gemstones. More savvy merchants also are in good standing with related guilds, such as the shipmaster’s guild or even the thieves’ guild. The extent of this relationship with other guilds ranges from actual membership, to some casual friendships and a few well-placed gold coins.